


Tender Hands

by Lizphills500



Series: Steve and Loki Through Chris [28]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Chris de Burgh (Musician), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Baby Colic, M/M, Song Inspired, Song Lyrics, burnt food, destress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-14 19:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21020822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizphills500/pseuds/Lizphills500
Summary: Steve tries to deal with everything all at once, which gets out of hand.  Loki arrives and helps him to relax.





	Tender Hands

**Author's Note:**

> I know that is has been a while since I've updated this series but finishing the Loki Avengers series has taken over a little. I am hoping to update it more regularly. Thanks again as always to Shallowgenepool for proofing and keeping me sane.
> 
> If you are new to the series, please start from the beginning or none of it makes sense
> 
> This is a link the song so you can hear it sung by the master: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm1CDzBU188

Oh how, at the journey's end, I lie in the heat of the night,  
Feeling the heartache, wondering why,  
I want a friend, I want a friend to lay down beside me,  
I want a friend, I want her now, someone who knows what I mean,  
When I say, that I need  
Tender hands to hold me, I need tender hands tonight,  
Will you lay them on my shoulders,  
Will you lay them on my eyes,  
And I need tender hands to take me,  
All the way to paradise, and then, when it's over,  
I need tender hands to hold me through the night;  
Touch me with your velvet mouth, I will give all the love that I have,  
Under the moonlight, reaching your heart,  
Where are you now, where are you now, come out of the shadows,  
Where are you now, I want you now,  
You know that I cannot always be strong, and I need  
Tender hands to hold me, I need tender hands tonight,  
Will you lay them on my shoulders,  
Will you lay them on my eyes, and I need,  
Tender hands to take me all the way to paradise,  
And then, when it's over, I need tender hands,  
To hold me through the night;  
I am only a voice in a city of noise, can you hear me this time,  
I see the storm grow, there's a light in the desert tonight;  
And I need tender hands, give me tender hands,  
Will you lay them on my shoulders, oh give me,  
Tender hands to take me all the way to paradise,  
And then, when it's over, I have tender hands,  
To hold you through the night, darling,  
My tender hands will hold you through the night;  
I want your tender hands, you have tender hands,  
I want those tender hands, tender hands

Steve rubbed his brow as he heard Michael’s piercing scream ring out from the twin’s room. Within seconds, his cries were joined by Rose’s as she objected to her rude awakening.   
Steve sighed before abandoning the pan of pasta that was cooking on the hob and rushed upstairs. He had only just put the twins down to sleep fifteen minutes earlier, before starting on dinner for him and Loki, who had been caught up in work for the second time this week and it was only Wednesday.

Steve hurried into the room and went straight to Michael’s cot. While his sister was also upset, she had quietened down to more grizzling than full-on screaming. Once Michael was calm it was likely she would settle down on her own. Unfortunately, Michael was bawling in pain, tears running down his little cheeks. 

Steve could already guess what the problem was. His son had suffered more from colic than Rose did, keeping him up into the wee small hours and it seemed that tonight would be no exception. 

He picked up the crying baby. “Hey little guy it’s okay, daddy’s here.”

Michael calmed a little with the presence of his father but was still crying pitifully. Steve could tell that it wasn’t going to be a quick fix, so he checked on Rose who was already starting to fall back to sleep, before he carried Michael to the bathroom, gripe water in hand.

Loki shut the front door, a little annoyed with himself that he had once more missed the children’s bedtime. Memories of his own childhood with Odin not being around as much as he wanted was always crossing his mind. Not that he and Thor were ever neglected, but if one of his parents was missing because of work, it was their father more often not, missing things like Thor’s football games and Loki’s debates.

As a result, he had promised himself that Rose and Michael wouldn’t miss him, but up until now, he hadn’t kept that promise. Admittedly, they would be far too young to remember his absence but that did little to make him feel any better and he didn’t want it to be the tip of the iceberg for later in their lives. Steve, of course, had never complained but that didn’t mean Loki missed hearing the slight disappointment in his voice when he had called him to tell him he was going to be late again. He was determined that it was a situation that was not going to continue.

Loki had just put his briefcase down next the hall unit when he caught the smell of burning. The next second the fire alarm in the kitchen start blaring loudly. He ran into the kitchen to find a pan that clearly boiled dry still sitting on the hob, smoke billowing out and filling the room. He reached for a towel and grabbed the pan, dumping it into the sink under a stream of cold water. 

Loki had the window open and was trying to fan the smoke out through the back door when Steve came rushing into the kitchen, both he and Michael wrapped in towels and the baby crying in reaction to the loud noise of the alarm. From the upstairs, Rose was once more showing her dislike at being woken.

It took Steve a moment to take in the scene while rocking Michael to try and calm him down. “I’m so sorry, Micheal was upset and I took him in the bath to help with his belly and I completely forgot about dinner and it’s ruined……..”

Loki finally got enough of the smoke out of the room to make the alarm switch off before he turned to Steve. “Stop, love. It’s fine, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. You sort out this little chap back into his PJ’s, I’ll deal with Rose. Then I’ll order pizza.”

Steve still looked a little shaken, so Loki took a moment to pull him close and kiss him, being careful not to crush Michael. Then he headed upstairs to Rose, who was still grizzling. He picked her up and gave her the pacifier that she had lost while crying. 

“Hey little lady, your brother is giving your daddy hell. Shall we go and see them?”

Two hours later, they had eaten, and the children were finally settled back into their cots. They hadn’t talked about what had happened until they finally were heading for bed. Steve was in their shower room when Loki came into the bedroom. He followed him and found his husband standing over the sink, he hands on the rim and his head down.

“Steve?” Loki asked gently, wrapping his arms around his waist and hugging him from behind.

Steve raised his head to look at Loki in the mirror. “I’m sorry, I just can’t believe I nearly set fire to the kitchen.”

“You didn’t nearly set fire to the kitchen, you let some pasta boil dry while you were looking after our son. It happens, particularly when I’m not here to help you. I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I knew what I was getting into before we decided to have them.” Steve said quickly, turning to face Loki, his hand coming to rest on his cheek. “I guess I never really knew how hard to would be to juggle them and something as simple as dinner.”

“You’re doing brilliantly, Steve,” Loki said. “I just need to be here more, and I will be. I’ll make sure Nat knows to keep late meetings to a minimum and maybe I need to hand off a little more work to my juniors, that’s their job after all. Right now, I’m going to help you relax, you’re so tense right now.” 

Fifteen minutes later, Steve was lying on his front, his arms straight out next to him and Loki straddling his hips. His husband’s hands were moving slowly but firmly over his skin, working out the knots in his muscles.

“Loki,” Steve groaned. “Why has it taken me five years to realise you had magic hands?”

“Oh, you already knew, but you were thinking of other things than my hands, like the bit they were touching,” Loki smirked as he dug his thumb into a particularly large knot.

Steve winced, but then sighed as the tension he hadn’t noticed before slipped away. Satisfied that Steve was now completely relaxed, Loki took three more long strokes across his back with the full length of his hands before climbing off Steve’s hips. Steve for his part felt like he was floating. It took all his effort to roll onto his back and then on to his side so he could put his head on Loki’s shoulder.

“That was amazing, thank you.” He whispered, already starting to drift off to sleep.

“You welcome, my love,” Loki replied softly as Steve’s breathing evened out and his eyes closed. Kissing Steve on his forehead, Loki closed his eyes to join him.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback as always is welcome


End file.
